Sunday, February 13, 2011

Unterbites

I know this site is for all things music but what I am about to write about does have ties to the music industry. I am talking about Erica Dunham (of Unter Null and Stray) and her new foray into the culinary world with her mail order business Unterbites. Most people know Erica because of her music but now she is going to be known for her delectable sweet and savory treats via Unterbites. A lot of her tasty treats involves bacon but don't fret vegetarians, Erica also offers a few vegetarian treats as well and not just a couple of items either.

I made my first order to be the Bacon Chocolate 'Mallow Bars which combines bacon, chocolate and home made marshmallows. I am a huge fan of the combination of salt and sugar. There is something about that sweet/salty combination that makes me swoon. After all I love pineapple and ham on my pizza. I also enjoyed the chocolate covered bacon I had at the Minnesota State Fair this past summer. As for the bars, they are more like squares. This was the first time I ever tried marshmallows that didn't come out of a plastic bag. I must say they taste so much better than the store bought marshmallows which I think tastes like chalk. The flavor of the bacon in the bar is subtle and never overwhelming. On top of the bar is a tiny piece of bacon which adds a nice crunchy texture to the bar. The bar is covered in semi-sweet chocolate so it isn't too overly sweet unlike milk chocolate which I am not big on (I am a dark chocolate kind of gal). One would never think of using bacon as a dessert ingredient but it really works. Kudos to Erica for using bacon in a much more imaginative way.

As part of the package, Erica also included a sample of her Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Smoked Sea Salt Bites and Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Cookies. Both were delicious. The Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Smoked Sea Salt Bite (Whew! What a mouthful. LOL) was not too moist nor too dry which is often a big problem for bars with me. I particularly loved the Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Cookie. That had to be the most delicious cookie I had ever eaten. I loved it so much I put in an order for 16 of those cookies. The cookie had the right texture, just like the chocolate hazelnut bite. Peanut butter cookies are a hit or miss with me, usually a miss because they are too dry and I need milk to get it down or I would choke on the damn thing. This is not the case with Erica's PB cookies. The Girl Scouts has nothing on Erica Dunham's cookies ;-). This year I opted out of ordering Girl Scouts cookies and went for the PB Chocolate Bacon Cookies.

Erica has set up a schedule where she makes the products on Mondays and ships the items out on Tuesdays. I think that was a brilliant move especially to ensure her products' freshness. I think it also helps to keep her organized with her orders too. People can also order samplers of the items on Unterbite's website. I think it is obvious that Erica Dunham's talents not only lies in the recording studio but also in the kitchen. I definitely plan on trying all of her products slowly but surely. She definitely shows a lot creativity. Who else could infuse bacon into bars and cookies? The addition of the bacon never takes over her tasty treats. The bacon is certainly there but in a subtle manner. On Unterbites' website, Erica notes that she uses only fresh, local ingredients in her products. That's a big plus for me, I can't take it any more with store bought cookies and bars, my teeth always feels like rotting after I eat them. I definitely recommend giving Unterbites a try. Bacon...it's just not for breakfast anymore.